Chapter 43: Inside The Void
`Year 4 - Month 5 - Day 1 - 0601`
`[Status: Lira - Team Leader]`
`[Location: THE VOID]`
`[Team: 1000 Elite Students]`
`[Years Since Kael: 2 Years 2 Months]`
`[Signal Strength: 32% -> 35%]`
`[Environment: NO AIR, NO LIGHT, NO TIME]`
`[Pressure: 100x Normal]`
`[Temperature: -273°C]`
`[Gravity: 0]`
`[ALERT: VOID ENTRY COMPLETE]`
`[Casualties: 0]`
`[Status: ALIVE]`
`[Time: 0601]`
Darkness.
Not black.
Not dark.
The absence of everything.
No sound.
No air.
No ground.
No up.
No down.
Just... floating.
1000 students.
In Void Suits.
Floating in nothing.
"Report!" Lira’s voice came through the comms.
Loud.
Clear.
`[Team Check: 1000/1000 ALIVE]`
`[Void Suits: 100% FUNCTIONAL]`
`[Oxygen: 1 Year Supply]`
`[Power: 100%]`
Ren grabbed her arm.
Through the suit.
He could feel her.
"Where are we?" he asked.
Lira looked around.
Nothing.
Just void.
Infinite.
"Scrap. Signal."
Scrap floated forward.
Mark V.4.
His eyes glowed blue.
`[Signal: 35%]`
`[Direction: 47 Degrees East]`
`[Distance: UNKNOWN]`
`[Strength: RISING]`
He pointed into nothing.
"That way," Scrap said.
Lira nodded.
"Then we build a path."
_Part 1: First Hour in The Void - 0601 to 0700_
`[Objective: Establish Base]`
`[Materials: 10x Mobile Forges]`
`[Team: 1000 Students]`
`[Time: 60 Minutes]`
No gravity.
So they couldn’t build on ground.
They had to build in a sphere.
Ren grabbed a piece of scrap.
`[Skill: [Void Weld]]`
The scrap fused.
In mid-air.
"Like this!" he shouted.
1000 students copied.
Hour 1:
`[The First Base: COMPLETE]`
`[Size: 100m Radius Sphere]`
`[Walls: 5m Thick]`
`[Air: 1 Year]`
`[Light: Artificial]`
`[Temperature: 22°C]`
Inside: warm.
Safe.
Home.
Outside: death.
Ren looked out the window.
Nothing.
Just void.
For forever.
"He’s out there," he whispered.
Lira put a hand on his shoulder.
"Then let’s go get him."
_Part 2: Day 1-3 - Following the Signal_
`[Day 1 - 0600]`
`[Distance Traveled: 100km]`
`[Signal: 35% -> 37%]`
They built a road.
In the void.
Piece by piece.
Metal plates.
Welded together.
Floating.
Scrap walked point.
His sensors out.
"Signal is getting stronger," he said.
"0.1% every hour."
Day 2:
They found the first thing.
A ruin.
Floating.
Broken.
`[Structure: ANCIENT]`
`[Material: UNKNOWN]`
`[Age: 10,000+ Years]`
Inside:
Carvings on the walls.
Of a boy.
Building.
With scrap.
`[HE WAS HERE - 2 YEARS AGO]`
Mira touched the carving.
Tears in her eyes.
"He made it this far."
Day 3:
`[Signal: 37% -> 40%]`
Another message.
Weak.
But there.
`[KEEP COMING - K]`
The entire team cheered.
In their suits.
_Part 3: Day 4-7 - The Monsters_
`[Day 4 - 1200]`
`[Alert: VOID CREATURES DETECTED]`
They came from nowhere.
Black things.
No shape.
No eyes.
Screaming without sound.
They hit the road.
"Don’t fight!" Lira shouted.
"Weapons don’t work here!"
"Build!"
`[Skill: [Void Barrier]]`
1000 students built walls.
Around the road.
Around themselves.
The creatures hit the walls.
And bounced off.
For 3 days they attacked.
Day and night.
On Day 7:
They stopped.
And left.
`[Casualties: 0]`
`[Injuries: 12]`
Ren looked at the dents in the wall.
"Good thing we built thick."
_Part 4: Day 8-14 - The Signal Spike_
`[Day 8]`
`[Signal: 40% -> 45%]`
Another message.
`[CLOSER - K]`
Everyone cried.
Inside their helmets.
They built faster.
Day and night.
`[Day 10]`
`[Distance: 800km Total]`
They found more ruins.
All with carvings.
Of Kael.
Building bigger things.
Fighting monsters.
Surviving.
`[HE’S BEEN ALONE FOR 2 YEARS]`
`[Day 14]`
`[Signal: 45% -> 50%]`
`[MESSAGE: ALMOST THERE - K]`
Lira stopped the team.
"Rest," she said.
"6 hours."
They rested.
For the first time.
_Part 5: Day 15-21 - The City_
`[Day 15 - 0600]`
`[Signal: 50% -> 55%]`
They saw it.
On the horizon.
A light.
Not natural.
A city.
Built in the void.
`[Structure: CITY]`
`[Size: 5km Radius]`
`[Material: SCRAP]`
As they got closer:
Details.
Buildings.
Roads.
Walls.
All made from scrap.
`[Population: 1]`
Kael’s city.
They entered through the main gate.
Empty.
But not abandoned.
Tools everywhere.
Forges still warm.
Notes on walls.
`[WATER SYSTEM: DAY 200]`
`[FOOD STORAGE: DAY 400]`
`[DEFENSE: DAY 600]`
He lived here.
For 2 years.
Mira found his bedroom.
Small.
1 bed.
1 desk.
On the desk:
A journal.
She opened it.
`[Day 1: I’m alive]`
`[Day 100: Built water]`
`[Day 200: Built walls]`
`[Day 365: I miss them]`
`[Day 700: They’re coming. I can feel it.]`
Mira closed the book.
And cried.
_Part 6: Day 22-28 - The Core_
`[Day 22]`
`[Signal: 55% -> 70%]`
At the center of the city:
A building.
Bigger than all others.
No windows.
No doors.
Just a wall.
Scrap scanned it.
`[Behind: KAEL]`
`[Status: ALIVE]`
`[Condition: WEAK]`
`[Energy: LOW]`
Lira put her hand on the wall.
Cold.
"Kael," she whispered.
"We’re here."
No answer.
`[Operation: OPEN THE DOOR]`
`[Time: 7 Days]`
1000 students worked.
Building energy collectors.
Building drills.
Building everything.
Day 24: 30% open.
Day 26: 60% open.
Day 28: 90% open.
_Part 7: Day 29-30 - The Final Push_
`[Day 29 - 0600]`
`[Signal: 70% -> 75%]`
`[MESSAGE: HURRY - K]`
"FASTER!" Lira shouted.
They worked 24 hours straight.
`[Day 30 - 0600]`
`[Door: 99% OPEN]`
1 meter left.
Ren stepped forward.
"Let me."
`[Skill: [Titan Push]]`
He pushed.
The wall cracked.
Light came out.
Blue light.
`[KAEL DETECTED]`
`[VITALS: WEAK BUT STABLE]`
_Part 8: The Reunion - Day 30 - 0700_
`[Hour 48 of Operation]`
The door opened fully.
Inside:
A room.
10m x 10m.
Empty.
Except for one thing.
In the center:
Sitting on the floor.
Eyes closed.
Kael.
Older.
18 now.
Scars across his face.
Hair long.
Beard.
But alive.
He opened his eyes.
Blue.
Bright.
The same.
And smiled.
"Took you long enough," he said.
Voice rough.
From not talking.
Lira ran.
Through the door.
And hugged him.
Hard.
He hugged back.
The entire team came in.
1000 students.
And cheered.
`[MISSION: COMPLETE]`
`[KAEL: FOUND]`
`[STATUS: ALIVE]`
_Part 9: Week 1 After - Recovery_
`[Day 31-37]`
`[Location: Kael’s City]`
Kael told them everything.
How he survived the first month.
How he built water.
How he fought the monsters.
How he built the city.
How he sent the signals.
"I felt you building," he said.
"Every city you saved."
"Every building you made."
"It made the signal stronger."
He looked at Lira.
"I’m proud of you."
She cried again.
_Part 10: Preparing to Go Home_
`[Day 38]`
`[Operation: OPEN PORTAL HOME]`
Scrap + Kael + 100 engineers.
Built a new gate.
`[Portal: 50% COMPLETE]`
`[Day 40]`
`[Portal: 100% COMPLETE]`
`[Destination: Academy]`
Kael stood at the front.
With Lira.
"Ready to go home?" she asked.
He looke
d at the city he built.
Then at his people.
"Yeah," he said.
"Let’s go home."
_Part 11: The Return_
`[Day 41 - 0600]`
`[PORTAL: OPEN]`
1000 students went through.
Then Kael.
Then Lira.
The gate closed behind them.
`[THE TRASH GOD ERA: Chapter 4]`
`[OBJECTIVE: HOME]`
`[STATUS: KAEL IS BACK]`
To Be Continued...
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